- The proposed capital expenditure for 2026 is Rs 12.20 lakh crore with Rs 1.40 lakh crore allocated to states
- Key allocations include Rs 40,000 crore for semiconductors and Rs 10,000 crore for SMEs
- Nirmala Sitharaman highlighted India's stability, fiscal discipline, and sustained growth over 12 years
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman spoke for nearly one-and-a-half hours as she presented her ninth straight Union Budget today. This time, she broke with a 75-year tradition by using Part B of her speech to unveil a detailed vision for India's economic future.
We look at the Union Budget 2026 in numbers
Proposed capex: Rs 12.20 lakh crore
Finance Commission grants to states: Rs 1.40 lakh crore
For boosting semiconductors: Rs 40,000 crore
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs): Rs 10,000 crore
Self-Reliant India Fund: Rs 2,000 crore top-up
Biopharma Shakti: Rs 10,000 crore
Scheme for container manufacturing: Rs 10,000 crore
Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS): Rs 20,000 crore
City Economic Regions: Rs 5,000 crore
Nominal fee of Rs 1,000 or Rs 5,000 proposed where revision of original or belated income tax return is made after December 31, depending on whether the income is up to or more than Rs 5 lakh.
New National Waterways: 20
High-speed rail corridors: 7
Investment limit for Individual Persons Resident Outside India (PROI) in domestic companies: 24 per cent
New Allied Health Professionals: 1 lakh
University Townships: 5
New reservoirs for fisheries: 500
Debt-to-GDP ratio: 55.6 per cent
FY27 fiscal deficit forecast: 4.3 per cent of GDP
Non-debt receipts expected: Rs 36.5 lakh crore
Total expenditure estimated: Rs 53.5 lakh crore
Gross market borrowings estimated: Rs 17.20 lakh crore
In her speech, the Finance Minister said India's economic trajectory has been marked by stability, fiscal discipline, sustained growth and moderate inflation since the current government came to power 12 years ago.
"This is the result of conscious choices we have made, even in times of heightened uncertainty and disruption. Our government, led by Hon'ble Prime Minister Modi, has decisively and consistently chosen action over ambivalence, reform over rhetoric and people over populism," she said.
